Have you done any panning shots like that? I think it would've looked cool with the background not only blurred, but showing the action.

It would be kind of tricky, but maybe worth a try sometime. Most bird in flight shots I take are at very high shutter speeds (1000 or above), as they don't really fly in a linear manner. Could be fun to try though. Usually a panning shot is a relativly slow shutter speed, as in this shot at the Sonoma Vintage races last year...65 GT-350R tearing up the track, 1/100 at f20. If I could still shift gears, I would kill for one of these!